Developer: Sunsoft Publisher: Sunsoft Release: 12/20/88 Genre: Shooter
My history with Fantasy Zone is a bit odd. My first experience with the game was the unlicensed Tengen version for the NES. This was before I learned it was an arcade game originally and a Sega game at that. Playing one of the “competitions” games on my system of choice was a bit weird but I will say Tengen did a good job with the port. Sega would go on to create sequel specifically for the Master System and sadly the NES port would stay in Japan. This is a damn shame as Fantasy Zone II is an excellent game, offering enough slight improvements that make the experience that much better.
Fantasy Zone II has had an interesting life to say the least. Originally it was created for the Sega Master System before being back ported to the arcade less than a year later. Usually this works in reverse. In 2008 M2 would remake the game using the same technical constraints of the arcade hardware of the original. I guess they really loved the first game to go that far over 21 years after its initial release. Like its predecessor Fantasy Zone II has a lot of ports on other platforms, chief among them the Famicom. This time Sunsoft would do the honors and they knock it out of the park with this one. Too bad their American branch did not bring it over; I sure as hell would have preferred this over Platoon.
The basic gameplay is largely the same as before. The goal is to destroy all of the enemy bases to unlock the warp to the end level boss. Each level now consists of multiple smaller subsections accessed by warp zones hidden by specific bases. Any given level has at least at least three sections with later stages having as many as six. It is a little annoying navigating these warps especially as the home versions do not have the radar present in the arcade. But each segment is very small and enemies do not respawn once you clear all bases.
There are only a few mechanical changes but they have a massive impact on gameplay. You now have a power meter that allows you to survive a few shots before death. Direct collisions with enemies still equals instant death but it still helps. There are no random shops; now there are permanent shops you can access at any time in one or two sections of a level. The shops all have a different selection of weapons making it worthwhile to visit all of them. This was my biggest gripe with the first game; the shop would appear at the worst time and you usually had no way to prepare before a boss battle. Now you can actually play around with the various weapons and armaments to see which ones you like more frequently.
The general gameplay is the same but the pace seems faster in my eyes. Because the levels are sectioned off they are smaller and as such conflict with enemies is constant. Enemy wave spawn every few seconds and the bases are clustered together. With shops always being available you can buy weapons more frequently with the abundance of money you will accrue. Because the maps are smaller the challenge is higher as it is easy to crash in to enemies. Death robs you of all power-ups and it can be hard to avoid the death spiral that follows. I am sure that some will not like that the game is near identical to its predecessor outside of a few mechanical changes. But Fantasy Zone was great as is, do you really need an excuse for more?
Fantasy Zone II was a looker on the Master System. It took full advantage of that system’s color palette and had a level of vivid color impossible on the NES. Sunsoft have done an excellent job mimicking that through smart color choices. There are few NES/Famicom games that are as vibrant as Fantasy Zone II. The art direction is wackier and more out there than the original. Each subsequent alien world is unlike anything you have seen before and the variety in each level is unmatched. Every section per stage is unique and the sheer volume overall is astounding. The only fly in the ointment in this version is the slowdown that frequently rears its head but that was nearly unavoidable. Considering the gap in hardware between platforms this port is about as good as you could expect and great.
In Closing
Fantasy Zone II is a great game and an excellent port. It does not reinvent the wheel but adds a few spokes to help it roll better. I might be biased as I love this series but I stand on my opinion that this is a great game. There is no language barrier and while I would recommend the Master System original first this makes for a great second choice.
